Question

You are conducting a study of an isolated tribe in New Guinea, and you find that there is widespread resistance to cryptosporidium infection. You determine that the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Which of the following is true of this population?

I. There is random mating
II. There is no immigration or emigration
III. There is a constant rate of mutation
a. I only
b. I and II
c. I and III
d. III only
e. I, II, and III

Answer 1

The population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium demonstrates random mating and no immigration or emigration, but no constant rate of mutation. The correct answer is I and II, aligning with Hardy-Weinberg conditions except for the absence of mutations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is about which conditions apply to a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The Hardy-Weinberg principle outlines five conditions for a population to maintain this equilibrium: no mutations, no gene flow (no immigration or emigration), a very large population size, random mating, and no natural selection. The possible truths about the population in question are: random mating (I), no immigration or emigration (II), and a constant rate of mutation (III).

The correct answer to the question is that only conditions I (random mating) and II (no immigration or emigration) are true. A constant rate of mutation is in conflict with the Hardy-Weinberg assumption of no mutation, so condition III is not applicable. Therefore, the population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium must exhibit random mating and be isolated, with no immigration or emigration, but does not have a constant rate of mutation.

Answer: b. I and II